THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: On Wednesday, Sumesh (name changed) a 17-year-old boy from Pozhiyoor in Thiruvananthapuram was brought to the de-addiction centre of the Excise department at the General Hospital in Neyyattinkara for continuous usage of cannabis. The drug had triggered uncontrollable behavioural changes in him.  

Sumesh isn't alone. In the past three months, 116 cases have been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) by the Excise Department in the city. As much as 34.76 kg of ganja, 31.27 kg of hashish oil and 263 pills were seized from the accused. In these cases, 69 of the around 132 accused are aged between 18 and 25. This highlights the enormity of the issue among youngsters in the city. 

Drug abuse is a menace the city has been grappling with for years. There is a steady increase in the number of drug abuse cases in the city. Excise Department officials find it alarming that students aged 18 and below form a large part of the customer base for narcotic drugs. 

They said children in rural areas are more vulnerable and most of the drug-related cases have been reported from places like Attingal and Kattakada. They are counselled at de-addiction centres. 
“The focus is on students. Often, parents are reluctant to inform authorities about the abuse by their children and the latter do not get help at the right time. To avoid this, we are conducting anti-drug campaigns in schools and colleges across the city. Awareness programmes will be conducted in all schools under various panchayats and tribal areas,” said Muhammed Ubaid S, deputy excise commissioner, Thiruvananthapuram.

'Koottu' to make Kattakada  drug-free

For a drug-free Kattakada, a campaign titled 'Koottu' has been launched in the constituency in association with various departments including excise, police, forest, drugs control, education, health, social welfare and child rights. 

The initiative is part of 'Oppam', a project which aims to make Kattakada a women-friendly constituency. MLA I B Satheesh is the chairman of 'Koottu' and Muhammed Ubaid S, deputy excise commissioner, Thiruvananthapuram, is the convenor. 
The initiative is being conducted on the model of the anti-drugs campaign, Vimukthi, of the Excise department. 

In the past two weeks, a team of excise officers visited 10 schools in Kattakada and conducted classes for students, teachers and PTA members. As many as 1,046 people have received treatment as out-patients at the de-addiction centre of the Excise Department at the General Hospital, Neyyattinkara, and 100 were taken as in-patients in the past six months.

In the past four months, we received 15 drug abuse cases in which the accused were aged between 15-18. Synthetic drugs are as common as cannabis. Counselling is given and if the patient relapses, treatment is continued," said a source with the de-addiction centre at General Hospital, Neyyattinkara.